Nepal begins reconstruction of damaged school with China's aid

Kathmandu : The reconstruction of Nepal's oldest school, which was severely damaged by the massive 2015 earthquake, has begun with Chinese assistance.

Nepali Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokhrel and Chinese Ambassador Yu Hong jointly launched reconstruction of the building at Ranipokhari in the capital on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The building of the school, widely known as Durbar High School, is one of the 25 quake-damaged projects that China agreed to help reconstruct. The school, established in 1853, was shifted to the current location in 1891.

After a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit the Himalayan country in 2015, the Nepali government made an arrangement to teach the students at make-shift shelters within the school premises.

The students have been taking their classes at a nearby public college over the past month after the school building was demolished for reconstruction.

Before the devastating quake, the building was housing two schools -- Durbar High School and Sanskrit Secondary School with around 500 students, according to the school administrations.

China's Shanghai Construction Group had been contracted to reconstruct the building within the next 20 months. Chinese Ambassador Yu said Beijing will build a safe and attractive building blended with traditional features and expressed hope that it will remain as a symbol of friendly relations between the two countries.